Champ Clark | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byHarris & Ewingc. 1910s | |
| 36thSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives | |
| In office April 4, 1911 – March 3, 1919[1] | |
| Preceded by | Joseph G. Cannon |
| Succeeded by | Frederick H. Gillett |
| Leader of the House Democratic Caucus | |
| In office March 4, 1909 – March 2, 1921 | |
| Preceded by | John Sharp Williams |
| Succeeded by | Claude Kitchin |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMissouri's9th district | |
| In office March 4, 1897 – March 2, 1921[1] | |
| Preceded by | William M. Treloar |
| Succeeded by | Theodore W. Hukriede |
| In office March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895 | |
| Preceded by | Seth W. Cobb |
| Succeeded by | William M. Treloar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Beauchamp Clark March 7, 1850 Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | March 2, 1921(1921-03-02) (aged 70) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Genevieve Davis Bennett |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Bethany College University of Cincinnati College of Law |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
James Beauchamp Clark (March 7, 1850 – March 2, 1921) was an American politician and attorney who served as the 36thspeaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1911 to 1919. He was the onlyDemocrat to serve as speaker during theProgressive Era when Republicans dominated the House, Senate, and presidency. Clark representedMissouri's9th district between 1893 and 1921.
Born inKentucky, Clark established a law practice inBowling Green, Missouri. After serving in local, county, and state office, he won election to the U.S. House in 1892, lost his seat in 1894, and won the seat back in 1896. He became the House Minority Leader in 1908 and was elevated to Speaker after Democrats took control of the House in the1910 elections. He inadvertently helped defeat theCanadian–American Reciprocity Treaty of 1911 by arguing that ratification of the treaty would lead to the incorporation ofCanada into the United States.
Entering the1912 Democratic National Convention, Clark had won the backing of a majority of the delegates, but lacked the necessary two-thirds majority to win the presidential nomination. After dozens of ballots,Woodrow Wilson emerged as the Democratic presidential nominee, and went on to win the1912 presidential election. Clark helped Wilson pass much of hisprogressive agenda but opposed U.S. entry intoWorld War I. In the1918 midterm elections, Democrats lost their control of the House of Representatives, ending Clark's tenure as Speaker. The1920 House elections saw the defeat of numerous Democrats, including Clark. He died the following March, two days before he would have left office.
Clark was born inLawrenceburg, Kentucky, to John Hampton Clark and Aletha Beauchamp. Through his mother, he was the first cousin twice removed of the famouslawyer-turned-murdererJereboam O. Beauchamp. He is also directly descended from the famousJohn Beauchamp (Plymouth Company) through his mother. He graduated fromBethany College in 1873, and fromCincinnati Law School in 1875.[2][3]
Clark served as president of Marshall College (nowMarshall University) from 1873 to 1874. In 1875, he was admitted to the bar, and the following year he moved toBowling Green, Missouri, the county seat ofPike County, where he practiced law. He was city attorney from 1878 to 1881, and prosecuting attorney of Pike County from 1885 to 1889.[2][4]
Clark was a member of theMissouri House of Representatives in 1889 and 1891.[2] Clark was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives in 1892. After a surprise loss in 1894 toWilliam M. Treloar, he regained the seat in 1896, and remained in the House until his death, the day before he was to leave office.
Clark ran forHouse Minority Leader in 1903 but was defeated byJohn Sharp Williams of Mississippi. After Williams ran for the Senate in 1908, Clark ran again for the position and won. When the Democrats won control of the House in 1911, Clark becameSpeaker.[5]
In 1911, Clark gave a speech that helped to decide theelection in Canada. On the floor of the House, Clark argued for the recentCanadian–American Reciprocity Treaty of 1911 and declared: "I look forward to the time when the American flag will fly over every square foot of British North America up to the North Pole."[6]
Clark went on to suggest in his speech that the treaty was the first step towards the end of Canada, a speech that was greeted with "prolonged applause" according to theCongressional Record.[7] TheWashington Post reported, "Evidently, then, the Democrats generally approved of Mr. Clark's annexation sentiments and voted for the reciprocity bill because, among other things, it improves the prospect of annexation."[7]
TheChicago Tribune condemned Clark in an editorial, predicting that Clark's speech might have fatally damaged the treaty in Canada; "He lets his imagination run wild like a Missouri mule on a rampage. Remarks about the absorption of one country by another grate harshly on the ears of the smaller."[7] TheConservative Party of Canada, which opposed the treaty, won the Canadian election in large part because of Clark's speech.
In 1912, Clark was the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, coming intothe convention with a majority of delegates pledged to him, but he failed to receive the necessary two-thirds of the vote on the first several ballots. After lengthy negotiation, clever management by supporters ofNew Jersey GovernorWoodrow Wilson, with widespread allegations of influence by special interests, delivered the nomination instead to Wilson.
Clark's speakership was notable for his skill from 1910 to 1914 in maintaining party unity to blockWilliam Howard Taft's legislation and then pass Wilson's. Clark split the party in 1917 and 1918, when he opposed Wilson's decision to bring the United States intoWorld War I.
In addition, Clark opposed theFederal Reserve Act, which concentrated financial power in the hands of eastern banks (mostly centered inNew York City). Clark's opposition to the Federal Reserve Act is said to be the reason that Missouri is the only state granted twoFederal Reserve Banks (one in St. Louis and one in Kansas City).
Clark was defeated in theRepublican landslide of 1920 and died shortly thereafter in his home inWashington, D.C.
Champ Clark is the namesake of the small community ofChamp, Audrain County, Missouri.[8] The formerClark National Forest likewise was named after him.[9]
Clark married Genevieve Bennett Clark on December 14, 1881. Together, they had two children,Joel Bennett Clark andGenevieve Clark Thomson.[10] Bennett served as aUnited States senator fromMissouri from 1933 to 1945. Genevieve was asuffragette and a candidate for the House of Representatives for Louisiana.[11]
He was an adherent of theDisciples of Christ.[12]
Abridge in Louisiana, Missouri that connects Missouri to neighboring Illinois was originally built in 1928. It bears the name Champ Clark. In late 2019,another bridge of the same name was constructed to replace the structurally deficient original bridge.[13]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Married Miss Genevieve Bennett; has had four children born to him: Little Champ, Ann Hamilton, Bennett, and Genevieve, the two latter still living.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMissouri's 9th congressional district 1893–1895 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMissouri's 9th congressional district 1897–1921 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives 1908–1911 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives 1919–1921 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives April 4, 1911 – March 3, 1913; April 7, 1913 – March 3, 1915; December 6, 1915 – March 3, 1917; April 2, 1917 – March 3, 1919 | Succeeded by |
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